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MaoZedong heads Long March
During the Chinese Civil War, the Nationalists made an attack on the Communists. The communist leader Mao Zedong led them on a 6,000 mile trek from southern to northern China. -
Germany invades Poland; France and Great Britain declarew war on Germany
The German attack on Poland is what most would argue the start of World War I. The first act of agressioin in Europe, Hitler disobeyed the Versailles Treaty, written in the aftermath of WWI, and annexed Poland. Great Britain and France then declared war against Germany. -
Japan attacks Pearl Harbor
Japanese forces, led by Admiral Yamamoto, launched a surprise attack on a US naval base in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. This act of aggression would start the war in the pacific. -
United Nations formed
Formed after WWII to replace the League of Nations, the United Nations is an international organization that was formed to better maintain international peace and security. -
Germany surrenders
After the German defeat at the Battle of the Bulge, all hope of winning or even negotiating peace was gone. Hitler commited suicide and General Eisenhower of the US accepted the unconditional surrender of the Third Reich. -
Allies use atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki
In order to frighten the Japanese into a quick surrender, the Allied forces dropped two atomic bombs on Japan, one on Hiroshima and one on Nagasaki. Both were civillian cities. Tens of thousands were killed instantaneously, however hundred of thousands dies from the radiation that lingered after. The Japanese surrendered.
